Sony Buying Bungie For $3.6 Billion, Studio Will Remain Multiplatform

What is happening this year?! Just weeks after Microsoft announced it was acquiring Activision for a little under $70 billion, Sony has now announced that it is acquiring Destiny (and former Halo) studio Bungie for $3.6 billion.

However, it's been confirmed that Bungie will remain a multiplatform studio with the ability "to self-publish and reach players wherever they choose to play." That means Destiny and future Bungie games will still be on Xbox.

In a message to fans, Bungie had the following to say about the acquisition:

"With SIE, the potential for our universes is unlimited. Our future games will take bold steps into unexplored spaces for Bungie, continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, and will always be built on a foundation of creating meaningful, lifelong friendships and memories.​

We remain in charge of our destiny. We will continue to independently publish and creatively develop our games. We will continue to drive one, unified Bungie community. Our games will continue to be where our community is, wherever they choose to play.​ With SIE's support, the most immediate change you will see is an acceleration in hiring talent across the entire studio to support our ambitious vision."

Sony Interactive Entertainment boss Jim Ryan has also been talking about the acquisition today, giving us a little insight into why Sony choose to buy Bungie. Here's what he had to say over on the Sony website:

"Bungie’s successful track record in multi-format publishing and live game services will assist us in realizing our ambitions to take PlayStation beyond the console and increase our potential audience. They will remain independent and multi-platform, will enjoy creative freedom, and their track record in developing massively successful franchises in the sci-fi shooter genre will be highly complementary to SIE’s own IP portfolio.

This is a strategic step towards continuing to evolve the gaming experiences that we build. Bungie’s expertise in delivering a world-class service approach and long-term community engagement is extremely compelling and will support the development of several future live services titles from PlayStation Studios. Equally, we see the exceptional skills that PlayStation Studios possess offers the potential to enhance Bungie’s existing and future IP portfolio."

So there you go! What a crazy month January has turned out to be. Give us your thoughts on this story down below.

[source sie.com]